Ukraine declares state of emergency in Donetsk and Luhansk

The Ukrainian government has declared a state of emergency in the eastern part of the country.

“The Ukrainian government has decided to institute the state of emergency in Donetsk and Luhansk,” said the prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who spoke after a cabinet meeting in Kiev.

Yatsenyuk also announced that a special commission chaired by himself would oversee the coordination of the state of emergency.

He added that this situation should not be confused with a state of war, as the state of emergency was established in order to coordinate actions of state institutions to ensure the safety of citizens.

The governor of the region of Donetsk, Aleksandr Kihtenko, said in a statement after the announcement, that the state of emergency would not limit citizens’ freedom as it was introduced to ensure their safety.

According to the UN, over 5,000 people have been killed since April 2014 after pro-Russian rebels seized parts of Luhansk and Donetsk.